IC school district officials discuss appointing new committee

IOWA CITY - Iowa City School District officials discussed Tuesday afternoon who to appoint to a new committee to study the need for a third comprehensive high school.

The district's facilities committee, which is made up of school board members, also discussed whether it would be advantageous to subdivide the Roosevelt Elementary School property, at 611 Greenwood Dr., to sell part of to the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Division.

Committee members discussed establishing the appointment of a team, which Superintendent Steve Murley said he would like to keep small, as a steering or exploratory committee on what would be the district's third comprehensive high school and fourth high school overall.

Murley said they are looking at all six high school and junior high principals, as well as seeking two teachers and two guidance counselors from both of the two comprehensive high schools, to serve on the committee.

With a growing district, they would like each school to operate at 85 to 90 percent capacity. "Ideally with room to grow," he said.

The scope of work for the exploratory committee will include looking at various program areas like course and extracurricular offerings, while comparing those against schools of similar sizes.

The committee will also estimate the costs to build and operate a new high school, by making comparisons at schools across the state as well.

A committee report is scheduled to come out by the end of this winter.

Regarding the Roosevelt Elementary School property, Murley said members of the Johnson County Heritage Trust as well as the parks department are interested in purchasing the ravine on the site for park use. A formal discussion hosted by the parks and recreation department is set for Dec. 14.

A sensitive area study of the property to determine what is and is not part of the ravine is pending, Murley said.

The Iowa City school district is expected to sell Roosevelt, which is being replaced with Norman Borlaug Elementary a few miles to the west next school year. Residents of the surrounding neighborhood have taken an active interest in what happens to the property.

There is still apparent interest in turning part of the property into residential units also, but the school board has yet to look into the restrictions and legalities of subdividing the land, Murley noted.